#14: Lists, Lists, Lists

Thank you LORD I am now 80% of the way through this month. And that means two BIG things:

#1: I can consume all the carbs I desire, and 

#2: I need a February CHALLENGE!

What makes me even more excited about this is that it means LISTS. WootWoot. So I've been thinking a lot about what both of those things mean. Let's start carbs. 

#1 

I'm definitely missing SOME carb intake. I don't have any interest in regularly gorging on carbs because they don't make me feel good, my body turns them into fat in 2.6 seconds, and they generally just don't have any redeeming nutritional quality. Well, at least not the ones that I'm missing. 

The "FEBRUARY+" Plan:

I plan to eat whatever I want, including carbs. I plan to eat them in moderation. I plan to eat 20-40g of carbs daily which is still considered "Low Carbs." I plan to make sure that 90% of the carbs I eat are complex and therefore healthier. And when I want something on the simple carb/not healthy list, I will eat a small amount to satisfy the craving and move on. My post-January diet will get to include:

• Whole wheat and corn tortillas, whole grain breads, brown & wild rices
• Fresh fruit, fresh squeezed fruit juice and dried fruit
• Milk, yogurt and ANY cheese!
• Black, brown & refried beans (yay!!)
• Potatoes, but more importantly sweet potatoes
• Dark chocolate and sugar free treats (like Russell Stover Chocolate Pecan Delights!) 

But what I'm WAY more excited about is the list of things I get to eat that are awful and horrible for me and that I only really want because I can't have them! I've decided my best way to deal with this, especially on February 1st when I can suddenly eat EVERYTHING under the sun, is that I can have anything on my list only ONCE in a month, and I can have only ONE cheat meal a week. The real plan is to continue to eat well, just with less frustration-inducing restriction; and to allow myself to eat things that sounds good (followed with the assumption that many of those probably won't taste very good). So what am I DYING for??

• Chocolate
• A slice of thin crust, cheesy pizza
• A biscuit
• Grits
• A donut
• A sandwich (i.e. on bread) and a hamburger (i.e. on a bun)
• A baked potato, sweet potato fries
• A warm chocolate chip cookie 
• Warm rolls at Texas Road House
• Fruit salad and a banana
• A hot dog at Costco ... in the bun ... with ketchup & mustard
• Pad Thai, Spring Rolls and Pho
• NOT TO MENTION ... (SORRY inadvance FOR ANYONE ALSO doing low-carb):

AMY'S ICE CREAM

MUG OF COLD BEER 

BREAKFAST TACOS

SAUSAGE MCMUFFIN

But I also know that the real deal is that I have to care about what goes in my body, what I'm doing to my body when I eat and how it makes me feel. Nothing is a total No-No, but it's really important that I'm being good to myself. And in this case, that means food. 

#2

I'm definitely gonna need a good Challenge for the 2nd go 'round. I was strategic in picking No Carbs/Low Carbs because I knew I needed something that would really push me, but that wasn't going to be like jumping into ice-cold water after lying in the 100 degree sun all day. You know? Going into the 2nd month, I need to do something that is really a stretch for me. The list of potential Challenges that I've been making over the past few weeks is a good 20 irritation-inducing, misery-making, I'm-gonna-kill-someone-if-this-doesn't-stop choices long. But when thinking about finding the perfect one for next month, there are only I'm choosing from:

1. Journaling every day
2. Write a letter to someone every day
3. Get counseling
4. No Facebook. At all. 
5. Cardio and/or strength training 6 times a week
6. Take a new class or lessons

I'm thinking that JOURNALING and also having to blog about journaling will be too much. The two things I see happening with this Challenge are 1) I will turn the blog into my journal and I'm definitely not ready to be that raw and uncut in my blog; or 2) I have nothing to say in my blog because of the journal writing. But when I think about journaling and then blogging about it, I see the blog as something where I process how hard it is to journal or to be honest or what I'm learning or how I feel about what I'm learning, etc. And I think I need a little more practice with both before I combine. So ... 

I'm thinking that counseling isn't something I'll have ready in 6 days. And I am still feeling like I'm not ready for it. I need it. I know I need it. But I need to get some other things together first. 

I have no idea what class or lessons I'm interested in taking so I'm just going to table that without any other discussion. 

That leaves writing a letter each day, axing Facebook for the month or working out. 

I honestly don't think that cutting Facebook out of my life is really all that hard. That might be crazy-talk, but seriously ... you just have to find other ways to communicate. So, maybe another month, or maybe not at all, or maybe only I am wrong and it will be really hard - but it's not going to be February's Challenge. 

I'm torn about the letters and the working out. 

My fight with working out: I love going to the gym, I love working out, I love the sweat and hard work. I have a really packed schedule with very little extra time so the choices for when I go are limited. I go on a less-than-regular basis right now, but I don't just NOT go. I'm thinking this is a really good plan because I want to go more and this would get me in the habit. 

My fight about the letters: This is an awesome Challenge with only positive affects and I am pretty excited to get to it. But I think I have a greater immediate NEED for the cardio/strength. I'm half tempted to do the letters and see if I can get myself to do the gym without the Challenge. HMMMMMM ...

S0 ... 

Uhhhmmm ...

*Finger-strumming the desk*

*Staring out the window*

(Maybe I should eat something while I think about this ...) 

(Resisted that urge)

I'VE DECIDED. 

FEBRUARY CHALLENGE: 

CARDIO/STRENGTH TRAINING

Here are the rules:

• In the month of February I will complete 25 days of working out.
• I am allowed one day off to a) rest my body, b) account for having a busy schedule, c) not feeling well/not getting enough sleep, d) to refresh.
• Of the 6 days/week that I work out, at least 3 days must include cardio and at least 2 must include strength training. (And doing both is also allowed.)
• Workouts must be at least 30 minutes long, whether it's cardio or strength.
• Variety is necessary - the gym isn't required. Walking/Running outside, DVDs/On Demand at home, using my weight and resistance equipment in the garage, playing basketball or hiking or something else. 
• Cold, rain, tiredness, hunger and general laziness will not be allowable excuses on the 6 days of working out. 
• This won't kill me. 

So ... there it is. Now the 5 days of obsessive research of places I can workout, fun ways to get cardio exercise, other ways that I can get strength training besides weights, best workouts for me, blahblahblah. I'm sure a spreadsheet will be involved somehow!

=======================================

While I'm here, I should mention this month's Challenge, maybe. 

Last night I made my kids pizza, which I obviously couldn't eat. So I made myself Chicken/Spinach/Red Pepper sausage and salad. Pretty good, but next time I'm grilling them. My appetite still really hasn't come back in full effect. Here's hoping it comes back fully by Wednesday otherwise, what a waste!! :)

This morning I ate nothing. Coffee tho, of course!! Lunch was chicken breast and Coke Zero. Not exciting, but good. Mostly this is because I lack an appetite, but I think it's also because I've lost focus a little as I've been thinking about everything I'm going to eat in February and can't now so suddenly nothing I can eat sounds good at all. But all will be rectified tonight when I go out for dinner and eat a big-ass, low-carb meal!!!

I'll let you know how that goes.